Panic
by lyrical-harmonies
Summary: "That's just it. Nothing actually happened," Annabeth explained. "Suddenly, the only thing I could think about was that you weren't right there."


Paul returned to his classroom to find all of his students circled around someone and sighed. He knew it was the last day before Thanksgiving break, but he had hoped his students would've had a little more discipline.

"Alright everyone. I'm back; get back to work," he called. Most of the students reluctantly shuffled back to their seats, but the commotion that had prompted it all hadn't stopped. As the students cleared, Paul was shocked to see a familiar blonde at the center of it all. She was clutching her red-headed friend's arm tightly, with an air of hysteria about her.

Her eyes locked with his.

"Paul, where's Percy?"

Her cold, desperate glare sent a chill down his spine, freezing him in place.

"Where's Percy?" she repeated, this time with more desperation.

He walked up to her and laid his hand on her shoulder before turning to her friend. "Rachel, Miss Marco's classroom. They should be in the middle of a test, but say it's an emergency," he told her sternly. Rachel nodded once before sprinting out of the classroom, desperate to help her friend.

Paul took Rachel's vacated seat and returned his attention to Annabeth. Her took both of her hands in his and looked her straight in the eye. "Percy's coming. Rachel went to get him. He just down the hall. Nothing's happened to him," he said softly.

"You don't know that!" she shot back, sobbing. The edge in her words and the tears in her voice broke Paul's heart. In the months following the end of what had been deemed 'the second war,' Percy's girlfriend had become like a daughter to both him and Sally. When it had become clear that Percy and Annabeth couldn't be separated for extended periods of time, at least not yet, they had offered to let Annabeth stay with them for the school year, and Mr. Chase had reluctantly agreed. Sally and Paul had quickly become accustomed to dealing with these anxiety attacks at home, but this was the first one either of the demigods had experienced at school since Percy's minor episode their first day back.

Paul sighed and then cringed as he looked around the classroom. Unsurprisingly, all the students were staring. He was just grateful that Rachel had been in the class. Having someone else there who knew what was happening and understood what needed to be done helped him keep his own head.

Moments later, Percy burst through the classroom door, anxious to get to Annabeth, who at that point was hyperventilating. Paul let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding at the sight of his step-son.

Annabeth, still sobbing, leapt up and crashed into Percy's arms. Shortly after, Rachel appeared behind them and Paul briefly excused himself from the classroom, along with the three teens.

With Annabeth still clutched tightly to his chest, Percy looked up at Paul.

"Do you guys want to go home?" Paul asked softly.

Annabeth shook her head weakly, but Percy replied, "That would probably be for the best."

"Right," Paul nodded. "I'll talk to the office and have you two excused for the rest of the day. Sally already left for Montauk, so you can take my car, but you'll have to remember to come pick me up at the end of the school day."

"Or I could give you guys a ride home," Rachel chimed in. "I have the rest of the day off, so I was planning on leaving after this period anyways." She turned to Paul. "And I don't really think Percy has the focus to drive through pre-Thanksgiving Manhattan right now," she said, nodding to the couple that was currently caught up in their own little world.

"Thank you, Rachel."

* * *

"Hey," whispered Percy, gently rubbing the blonde's back.

"Hey," Annabeth choked in reply, still visibly shaking, but no longer sobbing.

"How are you doing?" he asked, using his thumb to wipe away the single tear that was falling down her cheek.

"Better," she breathed, burying her face into his chest.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"That's just it. Nothing actually happened," Annabeth explained. "Suddenly, the only thing I could think about was that you weren't right there. Both Rachel and Paul tried to tell me you were in class, but it didn't make a difference. You just weren't there. It was like you were missing again," she told him, fighting the tears that threatened to overtake her once again.

"Well, I'm here now," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Is there anything I can do?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Just hold me," she pleaded. His grip around her tightened as she clung to him, crying into his shirt.

The bell rang and students filed out of their classrooms. Voices dropped to hushed whispers as people neared the couple in the hall, undoubtedly talking about the girl genius that had lost it in the middle of English, but for once, Annabeth couldn't bring herself to care.

She had him.

* * *

**A/N:** I really don't have anything to say except I hope you liked it. I was in the mood for writing fluff, but I was looking through my documents and found this almost finished...


End file.
